UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 14 (UPI) -- The United Nations is "deeply concerned" about the escalation of violence in the Ivory Coast following attacks on peacekeepers, the secretary-general said.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in a statement through his spokesman, warned leaders in the Ivory Coast that they would be held accountable for attacks on U.N. forces in the country.
Forces loyal to incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo set a U.N. vehicle on fire and later forced a U.N. ambulance to flee parts of Abidjan amid lingering violence.
"The secretary-general is deeply concerned that regular and irregular forces loyal to Gbagbo have begun to attack and burn United Nations' vehicles," he said through his spokesman.
"Beginning this morning, there have been a total of six incidents involving such attacks in Abidjan where (a peacekeeper's) military vehicle was burned. A doctor and the driver of an ambulance targeted in one of the attacks were injured".
Gbagbo refused to step down after the U.N. Security Council passed a resolution recognizing Alassane Ouattara as the winner of a presidential election meant to unite country divided by civil war in 2002.
The 15 members of the Economic Community of West African States have tried to broker a peaceful settlement to the issue and warned they would consider military force to pressure Gbagbo to step aside.
Hundreds of people were killed in the political violence that erupted after the November election. Washington hit Gbagbo with sanctions as international pressure on the incumbent mounted. UPI
